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[Affective perception of the body in neurotics. Its relation to anxiety, depression, and various types of defense]
Abstract:
This study compares and relates affective bodily perception (ABP), anxiety, depression, and the utilisation of some defense mechanisms in 25 neurotic women (16 depressives, 9 hysterical) and 25 normal women. ABP is evaluated according to satisfaction and anxiety (Body cathexis scale), distorsions (Body distortion questionnaire) and body conscience (Body prominence). Anxiety is measured with Cattell questionnaire, depression through Zung and Hamilton scales, and defense mechanisms by the Firo Form Cope of Schutz. Neurotics have a ABP more negative and are more depressed and anxious than normals; they use more regression while controls tend to use introjection. In comparison with depressives, hysterical women have higher scores in body distortion, mostly in the feeling of boundary loss; they express more masked anxiety and react more often through projection. Among neurotics, those who have a very disturbed ABP are more anxious, more depressed, and more prone to denial, projection, and regression in comparison with the others. In both samples, anxiety and depression have a negative correlation with body satisfaction and a positive one with body distortions and somatic anxiety. In the control group, body satisfaction is inversely related with feeling of dirt. Somatic anxiety is also inversely related to unusual feelings of body and skin obstruction. The intensity of body consciousness is related to using isolation and distortions are negatively related to using denial. In neurotics, denial is in opposition with the intensity of body awareness and is linked to somatic anxiety. The intensity of body awareness is also correlated to various forms of anxiety. Distortions are positively related to regression. The comparison of both samples shows a degradation of ABP in neurotics. The study of correlations clarifies several relations between deficient ABP anxiety, depression and the use of some defense mechanisms.